This is my third book of Jesse Q Sutanto’s that I’ve read, the first two being The Obsession and Well, That Was Unexpected. Unfortunately for me, this was my least favorite of the three.

Didn’t See That Coming is a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl struggling to fit in at a new school that is very conservative and extremely misogynistic. She receives antagonism from both her fellow classmates and the school administration, and quickly finds herself isolated and demoralized without anyone to turn to for help. When she discovers that her online best friend goes to the same school as her, its up to her to decide whether revealing her online identity will be a huge mistake or the perfect chance to finally find a true ally.

Through its storyline, this novel does a great job at convincing the reader that you should always stand up for what’s right, even when that means possibly putting a target on your back. We live in a world with many injustices, and nothing’s going to change if we don’t do something about it. If we’re constantly doing what’s easiest while keeping our head down, how can we expect the world to be better for the people who come after us?

While I really appreciated the messages the storyline delivered, my biggest gripe with the book was that I felt like it felt underdeveloped. There were a few plot lines that didn’t seem like they were finished being edited, moments that felt overly cliched, and several times where the dialogue was more childish than I thought it deserved. That being said, I probably should take a step back from reading too many YA novels back-to-back, especially considering that my teenage years are long past. While I cringed multiple times during some of the character conversations and colloquialisms that were used frequently, its likely that I would have also talked like that at Kiki’s age myself, so it’s probably pretty authentic.

As someone who plays many online video games, wanting to disguise yourself as a guy was so relatable. They talk about online harassment, inappropriate behavior, and more. I was immediately on Kiki's side. Not only that, but she's determined to be herself with no excuses. And you have to love her for it, especially in a world that always tries to minimize girls, to have them shrink, and bow to the men.

so, this one super easy to read the second time around, because the first time i tried reading it, i ended up dnf-ing the book. however, i can’t say i’m terribly impressed with the story. i think my main issue was with the MC and how young her voice came off as, it certainly didn’t read as a YA novel. i did like how the topic of sexism was approached – that’s probably the only time i actually liked the main character. i think the book simply tried to do too much at once, so it felt rushed at times. overall, not a bad read, but not something i would see myself picking up again.

3.5/5 Stars

Kiki is a confident 17 year old who loves to play online games. To avoid the harassment that comes along with being a girl in the gaming world, she creates a male sounding gamer tag to play anonymously. This school year, she starts at a new school, where things start off on the wrong foot, and her confidence isn't celebrated the way she's used to. She turns to gaming to find solace, but then she discovers that her online best friend Sourdawg also attends her new school and things get complicated as she decides whether or not to share her true identity with him.

This is a companion novel to Well, That was Unexpected, but you don't need to read the first book to understand what is going on. This book is definitely geared for a younger audience, but I still thought it was a cute read. I read this on audio, and I think Kiki was a fun character that the narrator really made shine. I liked how spunky she was. She always voiced her opinions and stood up for herself when needed, maybe not always in the best ways, but I liked that she never backed down to the boys. It is quite predictable, but I thought the romance between Kiki and Sourdawg was cute, and I think the reveal came at a great time in the story. The book dives into topics such as bullying, cyberbullying, toxic masculinity and sexism in an easily digestible way.

Didn't See That Coming is the companion novel to Well, That Was Unexpected (which I didn't read before hand)
Kiki is a gamer girl who uses a secret identity online who has become friends with Sourdawg online.
After transferring to a new school she quickly realizes her online friend also attends the school. Can she keep it a secret from him finding she not a guy and actually girl.
This books covers topics of harassment, bullying and sexism.
While the book wasn't for me, I still look forward to Jesse books in the future.

I adore every story Jesse Q Sutanto gives us.
Girl gamer plays as a boy to avoid online harassment only to fall for a boy at her new school who happens to be best friends with the boy she pretends to be online.
Super messy, charming, and funny (like all Sutanto) while also addressing really heavy themes (bullying, sexual harassment, misogyny in the educational setting) in a very honest way.
thanks to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Jesse Q. Sutanto as a writer and I really loved these characters. The story felt a little repetitive to me and it was difficult for me to stay engaged the whole time. Overall, it was a very cute read!

I love an epistolary romance that gives YOU'VE GOT MAIL vibes, so when I found out the premise of this book, I was immediately in.

What I love about this book and the first book in this series, is that Jesse deals with issues that affect her targeted audience but that adults can also understand/relate to. Cyber-bullying and bullying in general are issues that both teens and adults face in today's society. But even though she tackles some important issues, the story is still funny and heartfelt.

I really enjoyed how Kiki's love story blossomed and how she was able to reclaim her voice & stand up for her self. I do wish we had spent just a tad more time with her and her beau at the end (I don't want to give away who it is.).

But throughly enjoyed it and I feel like there might be one more book in this series?? I sure hope so anyway.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Didn't See That Coming absolutely took me by surprise. As someone who grew up playing video games, I loved this aspect of the book. I also appreciate that we got to see through Kiki what a lot of girl have to deal with when playing video games. It's understandable why she would end up creating a new persona online that presents as a guy because she was tired of being verbally abused be male gamers. I feel like this is such an important topic to cover in a YA book and I feel like it was handled so well.

Kiki was such a fun main character and just a bit chaotic. I loved that she couldn't help but be herself, even when trying to fit in at a new school. It's something so many teens have to deal with, and I think that people reading this book would really find her journey relatable.

Overall this was a solid YA book and definitely something I would recommend of people who love video games and YA romance.

This book contained Jesse Q. Sutanto's signature humor as I laughed out loud several times while reading this book. However, it dealt with the very serious issue of bullying. And let me tell you those parts were enraging to read about. I wanted to jump into the book and take up for Kiki.

Any book by Jesse Q. Sutanto has been a winner for me. Didn't See That Coming didn't disappoint. I found it to be a fun quick read that I think teens will enjoy. Plus the cover is cute and portrays what the story is all about.

thank you for the advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One quick note before my actual review... when I grabbed this I had no idea that is was actually #2 in a series... So, without having read the first book, there were definitely characters and events mentioned that I could tell I was supposed to already know about, but didn't. That didn't necessarily hinder my understanding of this story, but it detracted from the reading experience and that's on me!

Other than that, I did find it interesting learning about the culture, especially of highschools, in Jakarta and Indonesia. I feel like I learned quite a bit, and all the food descriptions made me hungry!

I usually enjoy a good highschool rom-com, and this had all the angst, drama, and more. I did like the relationship between Kiki and Liam and how it developed. This has some fun aspects like a student-created matchmaking app, and the gaming world, which I've found I like reading about in fiction.
I also appreciate the theme in this book of standing up to bullying, no matter what form it takes.

Some negatives for me:
I felt there was way too much language for this to be a YA book written about highschoolers. Not one I would recommend to the teens in my life.
Also did not love how the fmc treated her parents for 95% of the book. There was a last-min apology but I guess I wished that family dynamic had been different in this book.

I am a big fan of Jesse Sutanto and I really enjoyed this book and I feel it discussed a lot of topics that aren't always discussed or taken serious and while I enjoyed the story I do wish there was more to the ending as it felt pretty abrupt

First off It was fun to see characters from Sutano last Ya book make appearances but that was about the extent of my enjoyment. It felt immature and silly at times. I didn’t realize it was a retelling of You’ve got mail, which is something I am not familiar with. Overall, it’s okay but not my fav from this author

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5** (3.5-4)

*Didn’t See That Coming* is a fun and drama-filled story about the challenges of relationships, navigating a new school, staying true to yourself, and standing up for what you believe in. Billed as a *You’ve Got Mail* meets teen gamers, this story follows confident gamer Kiki as she struggles to fit in at a new, elite school in Indonesia. Things get even more complicated when Kiki finds out that her best gamer friend (who she has never met in person), “Sourdawg” is also a student at this school! Kiki has been playing games anonymously as a guy for years to avoid online harassment, and never expected that make any real friends like Sourdawg, let an alone have feelings for him that might be even more than friends. Can she keep her identity secret? And if Sourdawg realizes who she is, will she lose him as a friend forever?

>> What I loved: The relationship between the FMC and MMC was very cute and (surprisingly) healthy. Important themes like misogyny and sexism are raised throughout the story, and I appreciate how Sutanto in both online and offline contexts. I also enjoyed the non-Western context and setting of this story—the way the author paints the cultural context and setting in Indonesia was really engaging and accessible for those who might not be super familiar with that particular cultural context!

>> What I didn’t love: The fake relationship thrown in here was not great for me. Without spoilers, I was not a fan of the choices that were made about how Kikki interacts with a boy who is harassing her—her attitude towards it was so blasé in a way that didn’t match her characterization. There were also some pop culture references that, especially as someone who teaches the target audience, I could see them finding cringy. Writing contemporary fiction is hard when it comes to setting the cultural landscape, and I think a little less on the pop culture references would have gone a long way towards making this book feel more grounded.

There are many YA books that I think transcend their age genre, but for me personally this didn’t resonate as an adult read. Though this book was a little bit of a miss for me, I can see a variety of my teen students who love realistic fiction finding *Didn’t See That Coming* to be a fun read, especially those tapped into pop culture and gaming culture, and who like a little romance.

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Jesse Q. Sutanto, and Random House Children’s, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

This was good but not great. I was really excited by the concept but the execution was a bit of a miss for me. I love a strong female protagonist, but I think other books do it better.

This is a really sweet teen romance that puts a focus on the main characters growth. Addressing themes of sexism and misogyny in an overall lighthearted easy read manner.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Did not expect to enjoy this so much once I realized it was set in high school but the fmc was a strong character and the relationship she was fighting for was really her own reputation. I was invested in the drama and rooting for her. Sure the crush is fun and sweet, but it’s definitely a personal growth journey about Kiki. The ending was very “stick it to the man” but it worked with the story.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As far as sweet, light-hearted YA books goes, this one was alright. It’s not stellar, but it’s a quick and easy read that does tackle some topical and important issues. The plot focuses on Kiki’s transition to a new and elite private school, and follows the romance and tentative friendships she forms along the way. As Kiki navigates not only the new and very traditional high school, but also her online gaming world as well, she is subject to blatant sexism and hatred simply for being a women who’s entering spaces that it’s viewed that women “do not belong” or “should not speak out.” It’s a story we’ve seen before, but perhaps a more modern take.

I don’t really see this book as creating a positive narrative on overcoming or defeating sexism in the gaming world, or even in the school community. At a school rampant with outdated and misogynistic views, Kiki is first labelled an outcast and later, a hero, as she dares to speak her mind and unabashedly share her opinions. Those around her are stifled by fear of repercussion, and instead of offering Kiki support, the school rallies to other her as “crazy.” Kiki is really only seen and supported by others when her love interest stands behind her and shows his support for her. In the gaming world, she’s never able to play publicly as a woman. And lastly, there’s little true resolution to show the change in the education setting towards a more positive and inclusive atmosphere.

The setting and dual perspectives of the real-world view and the online-view are interesting and could have been utilized to make a powerful and impactful statement towards positive change both online and in real life. I do love that Kiki is an open, outspoken character, and her experience in high school is one that so many teens face all over the world. There’s so much potential in this book, and I do think that young readers will really enjoy it. I hope that other readers will be able to approach this novel with a critical lens to see that it’s intentions are good and it’s trying to demonstrate a positive shift for stronger women in the world and online. It’s great to see feminism represented in a YA novel and I hope this is a trend we’ll continue to see more and more of. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t hit the mark for me, personally.

💕Second book in a series but could be read as a stand alone
💕 YA take on You’ve Got Mail
💕 Discusses online bullying, sexism and cultural expectations
💕Takes place in Indonesia

I didn’t love this book as much as the first book in the series.